Chelsea vs Tottenham – Premier League preview and team news

Tottenham must win away to London rivals Chelsea for the first time since 1990 if they are to keep the title race alive, or else the joyful celebrations can begin at Leicester City as the most unlikely of top-flight triumphs would be confirmed.

The home side have made little secret of their desire to help Leicester to win the league, so will certainly not make it easy for their opponents on a night that may see their hold on the trophy disappear, having defended it lamentably this season. After a run of two straight defeats in which they failed to register a goal, the Blues were back at their clinical best in their last match at Bournemouth as Eden Hazard finally seemed to wake up following almost a year of failure.

On his return from injury the Belgian scored twice, so there are signs of promise again for a player who was so brilliant last season, yet so poor this time around. It may just be in time to be a standout performer in Euro 2016, but his immediate focus will be to help his club to as respectable an end to their miserable campaign as possible and give Guus Hiddink a fond farewell. This should be a close encounter, but Chelsea will have to be at their best in order to penetrate a water-tight away defence.

Following a sensational showing at Stoke City that could have produced several more goals than the four they managed, many thought a Tottenham victory at home to West Bromwich Albion last Monday was a foregone conclusion. They started well enough and took a narrow lead into half-time, but in the second period they seemed to be overcome by nerves and the equaliser arrived, ensuring that Spurs dropped the two points that put Leicester within touching distance of the title.

The Foxes could have won it on Sunday as a result, but were held 1-1 away to Manchester United, so the faintest of hopes remain for Mauricio Pochettino’s side. If they are capable of handling the expectation and the knowledge that an inability to win would mean that the game is up, then this will be their best chance for many years of ending their Stamford Bridge hoodoo. It promises to be a highly dramatic night in the Premier League, the night where the seemingly impossible might just become reality.

Gary Cahill and John Terry may be reunited at the centre of the Chelsea defence after they recovered from illness and injury respectively.

Spurs have been dealt a significant setback as Dele Alli will miss the remaining games after being hit with a retrospective three-match ban for violent conduct, while Eric Dier is also a doubt. Ryan Mason is likely to come into the side.

Last Meeting: It was a Chelsea procession in December 2014 as they breezed to a 3-0 victory, looking every bit like the team that would go on and win the league. Didier Drogba was instrumental in deciding the outcome as he neatly set up Eden Hazard for the opener before taking advantage of a Hugo Lloris mistake to double the lead three minutes later. The win was sealed by Loic Remy on a night where Tottenham rarely threatened.